5 Tips for an ultimate game-day date with your girl

ATTENTION MALES!

Game Day Dating Tips 101:

1. To get your darling date excited for all of the football festivities… suggest color coordinated matching outfits! Aggie blue of course.

2. Don't be afraid to have a pre-date. If she's not an Aggie herself, take the time to fully prepare her for all of the Aggie fan traditions and cheers. Teach her the words to the Scotsman, the “I Believe” cheer and “Winning Team, Losing Team.”

3. On the day of the big game, don't be afraid to offer her any help at her home. Odds are if there are small chores needing to be done; a dish needing to be quickly scrubbed, or a pair of socks needing to be folded and put away; she will take the time to get her life put together before she goes to the game. These tasks can jeopardize your chances of making it to the tailgate or even kick-off on time. Helping her get ready ultimately sets you up for a happy date and a happy football experience.

4. Get used to taking “selfies.” You may want to claw your eyes out after the seventy-fifth picture but, if a quick shot on her phone makes her feel as if she is fully part of the football experience, never deny the shot! Never!!!

5. Don't be afraid to go all out! A girl loves a dedicated man. So, if that means you wear Aggie bedazzled rings or paint the entire left side of your body blue, it's okay to show her what being an ultimate Aggie football fan means to you.

Girls, what do you think of our tips? Leave a comment with any thoughts or suggestions of your own.

What Kind of Tailgater are You?

Original article from Everyday by Rachael Ray  

THE ROOKIE

• Oh, there's a game today? You can still score with creativity and a little planning.
• Stop by the convenience store for a disposable cooler, drinks and prepared foods.
• Keep food portable (sandwiches and pizzas, for instance). You'll have fewer supplies, so less mess.
• Know the lay of the land. Grab a map for the best routes, spots for food and drink and pit stops.
• Microwave your eats in the student union, then duck into the college bookstore for team towels or blankets.
• Once you're set up, don't be afraid to scavenge. Beginners typically bum off fellow fans.

THE FIRST-STRINGER

• The fight song has been in your head all week, and you started prepping last night.
• Show up three or four hours before the game to claim a hot spot.
• Know who's doing what. Assign tasks like grill master, garbage collector and bartender.
• Have a game-day kit with everything from first-aid supplies to toilet paper and ponchos.
• Bring two coolers (one for drinks, one for perishables) and a grill. Pack tables, tents, chairs and, if you have one, a portable TV. On a given Saturday there can be over 50 games you don't want guests wandering off for updates.
• Taking inspiration from teams, mascots or cities, theme your spread. Tint drinks with food dye and opt for individual apps (so everyone's not crowded around a bowl of Guacamole).

THE VETERAN

• You've been wearing a team jersey since diapers and can recite stats like the ABCs.
• Take enough food for before and after the game. It'll make the parking-lot-exodus traffic jam much more fun.
• Have checklists of what needs to be done, packed and cooked. A list of guests' phone numbers is also handy.
• Bring more of everything. Think multiple TVs, towable smokers and grills, and hammocks for pregame naps.
• Fanatics are all about the finishing touches, if you really want to be the Clark Griswold of tailgaters, throw in a shade canopy and synthetic turf.
• Organize some tailgating activities. A ring toss, trivia game, horseshoes -- whatever keeps people entertained until those ribs are smoked to perfection.

Clean as a (ref''s) whistle

• Have plenty of garbage bags. Tape them to trees and tent poles, keeping them off the ground so they don't attract bugs.
• Clean as you go. Done with tongs and ladles? Wash and stow them away now. It'll save crucial minutes later.
• When draining melted ice water from the coolers, reserve some for rinsing nondisposable items, hands and faces.
• Scrape down grills before heading to the game, but save the major cleaning for when you get home.

Who starts their tailgate when the sun comes up? We do! Make the most of the wee morning hours with these time-saving tricks.

Day before:

• Choose groceries that do double duty. Salsa will work for Scrambled Egg Burritos with Tex-Mex Salad and with chips; sausage can star with eggs and with peppers in hoagies later.
• Cook ahead. Assemble breakfast casseroles, like Mini Ham and Egg Casseroles or Cheddar and Chile Egg Casserole (bake them off in the morning) and stock up on heat-and-eat goodies like Cinnamon Raisin Rolls.
• Pack (checklist in hand). Don't forget coffee and blankets or space heaters for the morning chill.

Day of:

• Set the alarm to play your team's fight song -- it'll make 5 a.m. more bearable.
• Make early-morning calls to the notorious snooze-button slappers in your crew.
• Mind the time: Allow an hour for breakfast, prep and packing and a half hour for setting up the tailgate.
• Prioritize! Set up important stuff first.
• Leave the last half hour of the tailgate for cleaning and getting to the stadium.

 Article Originally found on Everyday by Rachael Ray 

Happy Hunger Games: 4 Ways to Survive the Library During Finals Week

Original article featured on Surviving College

It’s exam season everywhere, which means that library spaces are scarce, the silent area of the library is actually silent, and food wrappers cover every available surface. During finals week, the library is more of a silent battlefield for tables, chairs, and books. Those who have managed to locate available resources refuse to give them up for hours on end. So now what?

1. Be one of those people who hoard resources

 

Contrary to what all of your friends say, they will not get to the library early tomorrow to snag a seat. In fact, a lot of people claim that they will wake up early the next day to study, but this doesn’t often pan out. Our beds are just so comfortable. If you do manage to get out of bed early (and I mean like 8 am on a Sunday), snag one of the silent study desks at the library and claim your study space for the day. When you have to get up for a break, reserve your table according to the following guidelines. Try to keep your break times to a minimum. Leaving and reserving your study space for more than 30 minutes is just selfish. Get your food, go to the bathroom, and go back to the library.

Acceptable forms of reserving a table include:
- Leaving your bag on the desk / chair (take your valuables with you though!)
- Sprawling all of your notebooks on the desk
- Asking a friend to save a seat for you

Unacceptable forms of reserving the table include:
- Leaving a textbook that you pulled from the library stacks on the desk
- Pouring coffee on the table
- Hiding all of the chairs

2. Wear quiet shoes

 

This isn’t just for girls in heels. It’s for just about anybody who isn’t wearing running shoes. Libraries echo and footsteps are irritating, especially in silent study areas. If you are going to pace around the library to look for a seat, make sure that you aren’t disturbing your fellow schoolmates. Otherwise, they will glare a hole into your back until you leave out of guilt.

3. Bring a cushion

 

Your tushie and your back will thank you. Besides, you know that fatigue will take over your body eventually. The cushion can double as a pillow. (You could also just bring a pillow.)

4. Choose your friends carefully

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You favorite friend to party with may not be your favorite study buddy. Make sure that the people you study with are quiet and focused. They will guilt you into studying even when you don’t want to, just by studying so hard themselves. And they won’t disturb you when you finally get in the zone. 

You should also pay attention to how many people you are studying with. Typically, groups larger than four can be unproductive.

In the end, what matters most is that everyone shares the study space available and does their best on their finals.

Here’s to another successful exam season!

 Original article featured on Surviving College 

Let us know if you have any stellar study tips for finals this year.

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Gift Pushes USU Eastern Past $1 Million Mark

Article Courtesy of Utah State Today 

An aerial view of the USU Eastern campus in Price. A donation by the Sorenson Legacy Foundation supports the Building Vitality Campaign.

A $267,000 donation from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation pushes Utah State University Eastern past the million dollar mark in private funding toward its Building Vitality Campaign.

The significance of this is that USU Eastern can now hand the Utah Legislature complete architectural plans for a new Central Instructional Building when it convenes in January. This will hopefully move the project even higher up on the state building priority list, said USU Eastern Chancellor Joe Peterson.

“We wanted to pay for architectural planning in advance of the upcoming legislative session,” he said. “We have now accomplished that goal.”

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation is known for support of educational initiatives related to arts and the disabled or disadvantaged.

“We’re extremely grateful that the foundation perceived our project’s congruity with the foundation’s values, and the importance of our project for this region,” Peterson said. “Its gift makes the foundation one of the college’s chief partners in extending access to cultural events and educational opportunity.”

It was estimated that it would cost USU Eastern $1.4 million for architectural planning. Last year the state legislature gave the college a kick-start when it allocated $500,000 in planning money for the project. With help from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, USU Eastern was able to raise the additional private funding necessary to not only meet, but exceed its goal, Peterson said.

“The success of our fundraising effort demonstrates in a concrete way that people of good will understand and value USU Eastern in general, and this building project in particular,” he said. “Now, as we seek full funding for construction, it is up to us to explain why this new building is so important to the college and our regional vitality.”

Part of this has to do with curb appeal.

The Building Vitality Campaign is based on the connection between buildings, enrollments and economic vitality in southeast Utah. The logic of the campaign is that to boost economic and cultural vitality in southeast Utah, USU Eastern needs to prepare more people to make economic and cultural contributions, Peterson said.

To prepare more people, the college needs to grow its enrollment numbers. Facilities play an important role in attracting new students because without upgraded or new campus structures, it’s difficult to effectively compete against other campuses in the state, he said.

“This new building will allow the college to improve facilities, attract and enroll more students and have a greater impact on the regional vitality,” Peterson said.
 
http://eastern.usu.edu/price/

A Story of Hope: Three USU students survive in the Philippines

McCall (left), Morgan (center), and Lyssa (right), pose for a photo with their students on October 18th. 

A week ago today, a record breaking Typhoon hit the islands of the Philippines. Three Utah State students were living in Thomas Oppus, Southern Leyte in the Philippines doing their student teaching when the storm hit.

Lyssa Bevan, McCall Eldredge and Morgan Parrish were shaken but unharmed by this storm. 

Leyte was the hardest hit, and thousands are dead in the city of Tacloban. These three women immediately set to work helping where they could.

"Lyssa and the two other students are in a unique position to help," stated Stacie Bevan Cannon, Lyssa's sister.

"All three have come up with this tremendous idea on how to help.  They have no way of getting into the hardest hit areas, however they all have international bank accounts.  They have asked friends and family to spread the word that we are taking monetary donations and depositing it into Lyssa's account. The girls can then withdraw the money and buy much needed supplies (i.e. clothing, food, water and medical supplies) over there, with no shipping costs or transfer fees. Therefore 100% of every donation goes straight to the relief effort."

Lyssa, McCall and Morgan had no way of knowing that their student teaching experiences would turn into an international crisis. But they are making the most of their resources and have become a blessing to the local Filipino.  The school they were living and teaching at, Southern Leyte State University, has been set up as a gathering place for supplies, where helicopters can load up and deliver supplies into the harder hit area of Tacloban (roughly 60 miles away).

"The town they are living in was one of the the very few that had little, to no damage, so stores are still standing and Lyssa, McCall and Morgan can buy supplies. They have been in contact with local church leaders to find out who in the immediate area is in need of assistance and are taking some of their supplies to these families as well," said Stacie. 

"Lyssa served a mission for the LDS church in the Philippines and has a great love for the people there," said Stacie,  "and the Philippine people have been endeared in the hearts of my family and me as well."

Below are three ways YOU can help in the Philippine relief effort.

1. If you would like to donate to Lyssa, McCall and Morgan's relief efforts 

Donations can be mailed to 

Philippine Relief Fund 

c/o Stacie Bevan Cannon (make checks or money orders out to Lyssa Bevan)

P.O. Box 4001

Logan, UT. 84323

    

2. The Beven family business is also accepting donations online for Lyssa's fund.

Through americanrealestaterentals.com or email Stacie Bevan Cannon for more information stacie.cannon811@gmail.com.  

3. Donate to a local church or the Red Cross  

A photo of the island where they are teaching, Taken November 2nd. Five days before the storm.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook, with permission

Lyssa poses for a photo with "Big Blue" on October 29th.

McCall (Top left), Lyssa (Top center), and Morgan (Top right), pose for a photo with Professors at Southern Leyte University on October 18th. 


Update: 
PHILIPPINE RELIEF UPDATE
Lyssa, Morgan and McCall have been able to buy 198 liters of water, 100 kilos of rice, (One kilo of rice is about 2.2 pounds and can typically feed a family.) They have also been able to purchase and donate powdered milk to feed infants, canned goods, biscuits and more.   Southern Leyte State University has allowed the girls to use a van and provided  them with a driver to transport the supplies. They have been in contact with a few different local church leaders who know of more people in need of food and supplies. Lyssa, Morgan and McCall are splitting the supplies they acquire between SLSU (and therefore Tacloban City) and the people in need in their immediate area.
Lyssa's family would like to thank everyone who has donated and made these relief efforts possible.